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Archive for the ‘Energy’ Category

Market Overview

It was a mixed end to the week last week with Thursday’s market reacting to bullish gas. This helped the power close over £1/MWh up across much of the curve. Coming into Friday this trend was reversed as the gas softened and power came down with it. However, this was not enough to reverse all of the gains from Thursday.

Oil   $79.23 per barrel  1 year ahead forecast $92

Indicative market prices are as follows:

Within-day prices up 0.35p/th @ 42.60p/th

Day Ahead prices down 0.23p/th @ 43.00p/th

Sep-10 prices down 0.20p/th @ 41.00p/th

Oct-10 prices up 0.05p/th @ 44.00p/th

Winter 10 prices up 0.15p/th @ 50.00p/th

Summer 11 prices down 0.42p/th @ 46.08p/th

Market Overview

Early trading on Monday suggested that the rally late last week would continue but as the day went on bearish sentiment took hold again and the curve fell. Following the trend of last week it was the gas that led the losses with heavy sell offs due to reduced demand figures and increased supply from LNG. Coal and carbon were also weaker yesterday so did not lend any support to the power, however spark spreads still widened slightly due to the power to gas lag.

Indicative market prices are as follows:

Within-day prices down 2.55p/th @ 40.85p/th

Day Ahead prices down 0.27p/th @ 42.00p/th

Aug-10 prices down 0.55p/th @ 39.65p/th

Sep-10 prices down 0.20p/th @ 38.75p/th

Winter 10 prices down 0.65p/th @ 47.35p/th

Summer 11 prices up 1.85p/th @ 46.60p/th

Market Overview

Yesterday was once again characterised by losses in both the gas and the power markets. Gas slipped throughout the day as increased LNG and lower demand weighed on prices. The greatest losses in power were seen in the front month with August trading £0.90/MWh lower on the day. Further out there was a slight recovery at the close with the curve closing £0.35/MWh down. Coal and carbon were both well down on the day which may have accelerated power losses and led to narrower spark spreads.

Oil   $75.42 per barrel  1year ahead forecast $88

Indicative market prices are as follows:

Within-day prices up 0.75p/th @ 41.75p/th

Day Ahead prices up 0.67p/th @ 41.75p/th

Aug-10 prices up 0.10p/th @ 40.00p/th

Sep-10 prices unchanged @ 39.25p/th

Winter 10 prices down 0.18p/th @ 47.80p/th

Summer 11 prices unchanged @ 45.25p/th

supplied by senior energy broker to Pink business electricity

The brand new Church Street Town House Hotel in Stratford on Avon has chosen Pink Connect to supply all their Communications, Data, Wi-Fi, EPOS Till Systems and Power needs. “The PointOne EPOS System is the most intuative system we have used” say staff the newest Pink Connect Hotel customer. It will enable us to handle everything from booking guests into rooms to charging bar and resteraunt bills to guests and non residents. Exactly what a busy Hotel needs. The boutique Hotel opens on the 28th July with a dazzling selection of superb rooms. If you are planning a visit to Stratford and the surrounding Cotswolds you could choose no better base than the Town House. Contact the Hotel on 01789 262222.

Congratulations to Michael Bott of Illuminated Word on their acquisition today of the Forge Recording Studios. This superb recording studio and live performance venue, together with the undoubted musical talents of Mike and his sound and video team offer some of the finest audiovisual talent available in the Midlands. In interview today Mike said ” we are very excited to have secured these fantastic facilities, the studio is one of the finest I have ever used and we look forward to producing some extraordinary performance recordings for all musicians. Mike has chosen Pink Connect to provide voice communications and high speed ADSL Internet access. Mike can be contacted on 07772 562033.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE AT EASIERFINANCE

2009 will definitely be remembered as the year we tried to tighten our belts. However, according to new research by comparison site Gocompare.com, nearly 20 million UK consumers haven’t switched providers for everyday financial services and utilities in the last 12 months.

The research also revealed that 1 in 5 Brits are starting 2010 still seriously worried about their finances and 1 in 4 say they urgently need to make savings.

37.4 per cent of people cited bills and the rising cost of living as likely to be their biggest financial worry in 2010 yet despite this need to save cash, the research revealed that there are still millions of people yet to switch on to switching.

22.7% have switched their car insurance provider in the last 12 months
19% have switched their home insurance provider in the last 12 months
20.6% have switched their energy provider in the last 12 months
18.9% have switched their mobile phone tariff in the last 12 months
10.6% have switched a credit card balance in the last 12 months
14.4% have switched broadband provider in the last 12 months

The research reveals that a potential 21 million drivers could be missing out on cheaper car insurance. An even fewer 19 per cent of consumers switched their home insurance provider in the last year. Gocompare.com customers could save an average of £211 by switching their car insurance after comparing policies from over 120 different insurers and brokers.

Energy companies regularly introduce new price tariffs to tempt customers away from their competitors and it’s always a good idea to review your electricity and gas provider at least once a year to ensure you’re not paying more for than you need to. In 2009 just 20.6 per cent of consumers switched their energy supplier which means that up to 20 million households could be wasting money every time they switch on a light or boil their kettle.

According to Ofcom there are now 76 million mobile phone subscriptions in the UK, exceeding the number of people in the population. In the last 12 months just 18.9 per cent of consumers switched their mobile phone tariff and although it can be a pain to have to change your number, millions of people could possibly save money by moving to a more competitive tariff.

One of the most effective ways of cutting down your outgoings is to reduce the amount of interest you pay on your credit card balance. According to the Bank of England in January 2009 the UK credit card debt was approximately £53 Billion, of which 72.5% was interest bearing. In the last 12 months just 10.6% of consumers switched their credit card balances. Cards such as the Virgin Mastercard offer a 16 month interest free period and you can use that time to really make an effort to clear your debt or at least pay off a hefty chunk of it.

14.4 per cent of consumers switched their broadband provider last year despite fierce competition between internet service providers. Some like BT even offer freebies such as wireless routers to attract new customers as well as discounted rates for the first three to six months of the contract. Conditions will apply of course but it makes sense to compare the competition and switch if you can find a better deal.

READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE AT EASIERFINANCE

It may be fun, but Christmas can be an expensive time of year for the small business owner. With central heating pumping as the winter kicks in, lights on in every room as the evenings get darker, it’s clear that there’s also a cost – your energy bill.

Around half of energy customers don’t bother to properly read contract terms and conditions when changing energy supplier – making them more likely to be caught out by penalty fees and other charges only mentioned in the small print.

Earlier this summer the price drops announced by the leading energy suppliers took effect. Yet these new prices will not do much to help beleaguered consumers who are locked into expensive energy bills. The timing of these price cuts is interesting as coming at a period in the year where it is warmer, the effect of the price cuts are not going to be as helpful as they would have been during the winter months.

The good thing to be aware of is, that as a result of the price changes, there are a good number of new discount tariffs to choose from and a good energy broker can help you choose the right tariffs for your business gas and electricity supplies. For useful advice see: Business Gas Prices

Environmentally friendly sources of energy are increasingly available from natural sources that have less of an impact on the environment in their production.

Green energy is likely to become more significant as reducing environmental impact gains importance. Solar power, wind power, and geothermal power, to name a few are all sources of energy that can be harnessed with minimal pollution.

Whatever energy source you want to use, talk to an expert energy supplier that can advise you on appropriate sources of green energy. Energy broker connect4business provides free impartial advice on your choices. http://www.connect4business.co.uk/green_energy_and_green_policy.html